Summary of the Homer School District 33C
Finance & Operations Committee Meeting
November 30, 2016
_____________________________________________________________________
Barb Wilson, President Angela Adolf, Vice President Amy Blank, Secretary
Deb Martin, Member Ed Campins, Member Elizabeth Hitzeman, Member Russ Petrizzo, Member
At the November 30th Finance & Operations Committee meeting:
- Randy Hoyle and Carolyn Quinn from Pike Systems provided an update on the District’s efforts to streamline its cleaning methods. The goal is to create efficiencies while maintaining hospital-grade cleanliness. So far, the District has:
- Reduced the number of chemicals it uses each day from 12 to 4
- Introduced green/bio-based products and eliminated harsh aerosols
- Completed 131 hours of training, enabling District staff to become “specialists” in their areas
- Trained staff members how to properly use cleaning equipment
- Standardized cleaning methods and products across the District so that every building is cleaned the same way, enabling staff members to “float” between buildings and fill in for absent colleagues
- Sharon Uslan from OpTerra Energy provided an overview of the company’s services and explained how it can help Homer 33C reduce operating costs by implementing customized energy programs that leverage sustainable energy technologies to modernize facilities.
- Christi Tyler, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business, discussed a bus leasing option that would enable the district to:
- Avoid a large capital outlay
- Refresh its entire fleet every 5 years
- Reduce maintenance costs
The District currently owns its bus fleet and replaces each bus every 7 years on a rotating schedule. Ever since the District switched from a 5-year replacement schedule to a 7-year replacement schedule, it has seen its maintenance costs go up. This fiscal year, it has already spent 80 percent of its bus maintenance budget — and it still has half a year to go. Preliminary numbers show the District may be able to refresh its entire fleet for less dollars than it has currently budgeted for the purchase of 8 new buses. The Committee instructed Tyler to continue her research and present hard numbers to the Board with specific information about bus radios, cameras and GPS systems.
- Tyler reported the District received three bids for two-way radios that would enable building administrators to communicate with the maintenance staff and District administrators throughout the school day and during crisis situations. The District is recommending the Board award the bid to A Beep, a telecommunications products provider headquartered in Joliet.
- Tyler reported the District has a few outstanding Health Life Safety checklist items to complete at the buildings. It would like to use TRIA architects — the same firm used on the District’s bus barn project — to complete the checklist items.
The Next Regular School Board Meeting is December 20, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
