Unit 40 Board Hears Update on Meeting Standards and Assessments

Unit 40 Superintendent Mark Doan updated school board members Monday on meeting standards and assessments to determine what the school district is doing to meet those standards.

The Board also heard from Doan on testing planned to evaluate student success and progress for the District in those evaluations.  Financial efficiency was also a topic for Doan.  He noted the District has pared $3 million from the budget since 2011 and said the District doesn't get enough credit for "doing more with less" every year.  He also reminded board members that the issue of school districts taking over the funding of teacher pensions from the State is still a topic in Springfield.

Finances were in vogue at Monday's meeting, since the Board acted on the budget for the fiscal year.  Doan said the Education Fund shows a $592,000 deficit, the Operations and Maintenance Fund broke even, the Transportation Fund lost $190,000 since the District is purchasing seven buses and lease/purchasing five others after not having bought any buses for three years, and the Working Cash Fund is diminished by $423,000 since that amount was transferred to the Operations and Maintenance Fund to help pay for tuckpointing work at the high school building, construction of the safe entrance to the high school building, and resurfacing of the high school track.

The Board approved a revamped crisis plan for the District.  The work was overseen by high school assistant principal Cody Lewis and junior high assistant principal Kurt Roberts.

In personnel moves, the Unit 40 board accepted Cody Harpster's resignation as wrestling coach, approved a Family and Medical Leave Act leave for Rob Schottman, hired Berly DeSadas as a paraprofessional in the English for foreign language students program, hired Ky Totten as junior class sponsor, and hired Ilenia Hails, Lauren Withiem, Jill Jones and Tony Munoz to share directing duties for the junior high fall musical, as well as Michael Depoister as a junior high girls basketball volunteer coach.