Summary of Homer District 33C School Board Meeting December 15, 2015
Union representative Terri Pellizzari introduced the distr ict’s thir d-grade teachers. Teacher Tasha Ohotzke spoke on behalf of the group and shared some of the ways they’re using technology to prepare Future Ready Students. Last week, for example, students participated in the global Hour of Code movement, learning how to code like computer programmers. “It was a huge hit,” said Ms. Ohotzke. She also talked about how the third graders are connecting with students in Missouri by reading the book “Fish in a Tree” aloud together. The project is part of a Global Read Aloud, connecting more than 1,000,000 students across the country. She thanked the board for providing the tools, such as Chromebooks, to make the learn- ing projects possible. “It’s amazing what we can do with those Chromebooks,” she said.
Superintendent Kara Coglianese recognized the owner s of Tazza’s r estaur ant for assisting a Homer 33C family this holiday season by providing them with a Thanksgiving feast as well as additional food for the holidays.
Superintendent Kara Coglianese recognized J ohn Reiniche, Assistant Super in- tendent for Business, for publishing an article about Homer 33C’s efforts to explain school finance to the community by creating a condensed, easy-to-read communi- cations tool called “Budget at a Glance.” The article was published in the winter edition of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials magazine.
The Board of Education approved r evised job descr iptions for Gr ounds/ Special Project Tech, Grounds Maintenance Services, Head Custodian, District Maintenance Staff, Assistant Maintenance Staff.
The Board of Education authorized school per sonnel to discar d of old, br oken or damaged athletic equipment.
Schilling School Principal Candis Gasa, Assistant Superintendent Kathleen Robinson and Technology Director Arlene Siefert shared a pr esentation they made to public school leaders recently in the Carousel of Panels at the IASB/IASA/ IASBO Joint Annual Conference, held Nov. 21 in Chicago. The presentation, “Transforming a School District,” was selected for inclusion in the conference by conference organizers. Its focus was Homer 33C’s Preparing Future Ready Stu- dents initiative. Mrs. Robinson provided an overview of initiative and how it got started while Mrs. Siefert talked about the deployment of technology as well as the professional development needed to make the initiative successful. Mrs. Gasa shared how the initiative was implemented in the schools.
The presentation was so well received by educators that the group was invited to apply to present again next year.
Homer School Board
Barb Wilson, President Angela Adolf, Vice President Amy Blank, Secretary
Ed Campins, Member Elizabeth Hitzeman, Member Debra Martin, Member
Russ Petrizzo, Member
Mrs. Kathleen Robinson, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, present- ed an over view of the distr ict’s PARCC testing r esults. The r esults show:
- 50 percent of Homer 33C students are proficient or meeting state standards in English Language Art The state average is 38 percent.
- 45 percent of Homer 33C students are proficient or meeting state standards in Math. The state average is 28 perce
A more detailed report showing scores by grade level will be shared with the board at next meeting on January 26th. Parents will receive information about the PARCC exam results with their child’s report card on January 25th.
The Board of Education approved a levy of 2.75 per cent — the District’s lowest request in at least five years.
The Board of Education confirmed the appointment of Homer J unior High Principal Troy Mitchell to serve as a liaison to first responder agencies.
The Board of Education approved a 2 per cent salar y incr ease for non- bargaining support staff personnel for FY 2015-2016.
The Board of Education approved the application of the Ten-Year Safety Survey Report for William J. Butler School.
Board Member Angela Adolf requested a r epor t be pr epar ed showing how much money is budgeted for each extracurricular program in the district. She wants to make sure all extracurricular programs are treated fairly and equitably in the district.
