The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Illini West School Board Meeting
Joy Swearingen, Quill correspondent
Dec. 13th – Illini West High School board joined other school districts in Hancock County, seeking a 1% sales tax for schools in the county. The tax request, approved at their meeting Dec. 13, will be sent to the Regional Superintendent John Meixner who will submit it to the county clerk. Meixner said school boards representing at least 50 percent of the students in the county must approve a request for the sales tax before it is placed on the March 2024 ballot.
If approved by voters, the retailers’ occupation and service occupation tax would be used exclusively for school facilities, resource officers, and mental health professionals. A similar sales tax for schools was part of the April 2023 election, and failed by just a few votes.
Superintendent Jay Harnack reported that the Hancock County superintendents discussed the sales tax process at their Dec. 5 meeting. The tax would be imposed on all items now affected by Illinois sales tax, and would not cover unprepared food intended for home consumption; drugs including vitamins and over the counter meds; farm equipment, parts and inputs like fertilizer and seed; and licensed and titled vehicles, boats and RVs.
The tax funds can be spent for Life/Safety work and other approved facility expenses on a pay-as-you-go basis or accumulated for future building needs, to abate taxes on bond issues for facility improvements, and for school resource officers and mental health professionals. Interest on the funds can be transferred to other school funds.
The sales tax funds cannot be used for salaries, utilities, supplies, other operational costs, computers, or movable equipment such as buses, trucks or mowers.
Following a public hearing at the beginning of the meeting, the board approved the levy request for the coming school year. This levy amount must be filed before the end of December.
The levy, based on estimates of funds required for the next year, is $3,941,000. The total property taxes extended to the district for 2023 were $3,339,848.
The actual amount of tax revenues received from taxes is seldom the same as the amount the district levy requests, since the estimated assessed value (EAV) of the property in the district is not yet known. If the district levy is more than the amount the tax rate will generate with the new EAV. the district will get only the amount possible by the legal rate.
The school district gets about 65 percent of its funds from local property tax.
Following an executive session, where several individuals spoke to the board on staff issues, the board approved hiring Christine Murphy as head coach for boys and girls golf; Dakota Lafferty as head coach for volleyball; Jacob Calvin as head coach for football; and Ryan Bliss as head coach for boys and girls cross country.
The board approved a resolution to issue a Notice to Remedy to drivers education teacher, David Kasper.
Leases on two school buses were extended for three years each. Leases include a 2020 71-passenger Thomas/Freightliner bus for $18,597.43 per year; and a 2021 65-passenger lift Thomas/Freightliner bus at $22,503.00 per year.
A contract for special education consulting was approved with Leyona Wiley. The agreement includes working two days on-site, helping with IEP details, communication with administrators and staff to evaluate the district’s current policies and practices, and making recommendations for improvement.
Wiley recently retired as the director of the West-Central Illinois Special Education Cooperative.
Principal Amanda Congdon reported that the last day of first semester is Dec. 20. There will not be traditional final exams. Report cards will be finalized and send out after break.
Congdon acknowledged the Illini West Illinois State Scholars: Katherine Biery, Thomas Chandler, Grant Combites, Ashley Eddington and Sarah Stinemates. Selection is based on SAT scores and class rank at the end of their junior year. Students ranking in the top 10 percent of the state’s high school seniors are designated Illinois State Scholars.
Changes to the 2024-25 course catalog were approved.
First and second reading of board policy updates were approved.