Teutopolis School Board Reorganizes Following Election

Teutopolis school board members reorganized Tuesday night in the wake of the board election earlier this month.

The Board chose Brad Koester to serve as board president, Courtney Tegeler as vice-president, and Chad Hewing as board secretary.

Board members also swore Koester and Hewing into new terms, and welcomed Brian Meyer as a new member. The Board also said goodbye to two longtime members who did not seek re-election. Gene Niemerg has been on the Board for 16 years, and Jim Buhnerkempe for eight years. 

Board member Troy Ozenkoski was named the district's representative for the Teutopolis Education Foundation, and Meyer was appointed the district's representative to the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education board.

Three candidates for four board seats leaves the Teutopolis board one member short. Board members Tuesday decided to ask those interested in applying for the vacancy to send a letter of interest to the Board office. The letters are due by May 9.

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The Board Tuesday also heard from a group of Teutopolis teachers who attended the ICE Conference, the Illinois Computing Educators Conference in Chicago. The teachers displayed several examples of technology they examined at the conference including Cue Robots and VR Goggles.

(TEUTOPOLIS TEACHER MICHELE METTE DEMONSTRATES A CUE ROBOT)

Teacher Dan Blankenship spoke for the participants when he said the technology is great for student learning, but was appreciative of the opportunity to attend. Blankenship said of the time for teachers to work together, "bonding, collaboration, it's so important."

The Board purchased 300 new Chromebook units for those in Grades 2 through 12 for just under $75,000, and decided on a 5-1 vote to kick in $5,500 toward the cost of furniture for the high school Media Center, with Meyer voting No. The balance of the funds for the project are already available. The Board also approved a copier lease with Watts Copy Systems for about $1,599/month.

Board members discussed at length whether to pursue a solar energy project at Teutopolis Junior High School through Affordable Gas and Electric, but didn't reach a decision. The Board plans to review the numbers before revisiting the matter next month. There is support for the project; Board member Leon Gobczynski saying the district could be one of the first to have a renewable energy source; but the financial benefits of the project is not a short-term thing. The Board did proceed with a three-year agreement for natural gas purchases.